I once referred to the consumer-facing Internet of Things (IoT) as the Internet of Sh!t. My point was that the entire ecosystem of IoT devices was created through technology-centered devices that were limited in scope, breadth and compatibility. I was and still am an advocate for something more universal, platform approaches that are human-centered and optimized for cross-device collaboration and optimization. The Internet of Things is a mess with too many products and apps competing for consumer attention. This creates…
The CX Imperative and The Role You Play in Making Business Personal
i Every now and then, I am asked to write the foreword for a great book. And, every now and then, I say yes. The deal is always the same. Once the book is released, I ask that I’m able to publish the foreword in full to share with you here. My friends Lars Birkholm Petersen, Ron Person and Christopher Nash wrote a book, Connect: How to use data and experience marketing to create lifetime customers. As they describe, marketing is…
Digital Transformation – Rewriting the Rules of Business
We live in an era of digital Darwinism. As customer expectations evolve and move toward personalized experiences and beyond transactions, companies in every industry must focus digital transformation on not only digital, but also people, purpose, and relevance. Digital transformation has become an absolute must-have to secure future growth, improve customer experience and loyalty as well as operational efficiency. Along with it, digital transformation also represents an opportunity to rewrite the rules of business? I got to spend some time with…
Deepening Customer Relationships with Contextual Content
Guest post by Rebecca Lieb and Jaimy Szymanski, Content: The Atomic Particle of Marketing In the “phygital” world that marries our physical and digital presences, content is ubiquitous. Only by offering content through the lens of context can marketers achieve relevancy to today’s uber-connected consumer. Beacons, sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) are moving marketing past the screen to the objects, places, and even the conditions (weather, holidays, sales) we occupy and experience in the real world. Contextual marketing…
Digital Transformation Must Lead to Business Transformation: An Interview with Didier Bonnet of CapGemini Consulting
Who owns digital transformation within your organization? Is it the C-Suite, marketing, IT, HR? It’s now essential for all stakeholders – no matter their level or role – to become acquainted in the purpose of digital technology if orgs are to succeed in this new economy. We live in an era of digital Darwinism. As technology and society evolve, all organizations must also adapt how they operate and compete. To do so however, requires much more than digital transformation and…
Is Retail Dying or is it Time for a Renaissance?
Guest post from Michel Lewis (@BizMike), founder of RoomSignal and long-time friend of Brian. Retail is dead. Heard that phrase before? For the last decade we have watched as digital companies like Amazon & Netflix received much of the credit, for putting brands like Borders and Blockbuster out to pasture. Poor stock performances and gloomy headlines about the death of retail only fuel reports about the demise of brick & mortar stores. For many retail brands like Nordstrom and Target,…
Conversation Prism 5.0: The 2017 Social Media Universe in One Infographic
Social media continues to reshape our world and how people connect, discover and share. While some argue that we should drop “social” from the moniker and simply call it “media,” the reality is that social media is only spreading, evolving and becoming more pervasive in our life and work. Every few years, I partner with JESS3 to capture the state of social media visually. The challenge is always great in that social networks and apps come and go, but over…
A Real-Time Conversation About AI and the Future of Work
I recently had one of the most fast-paced, fun and provocative conversations I had in a while. It wasn’t something that happened in IRL. Instead, this real-time conversation took place on Twitter. Organized by Cognizant and Pega prior to #Pegaworld, I joined Ben Pring, author of What To Do When Machines do Everything as well as Cogizant and Pega executives and AI/FoW experts on Twitter, to discuss the unfolding reality of AI and its role in the future of work. And, more importantly,…
Why your website (and CX) suck and how to better engage digitally-savvy consumers
I recently had an opportunity to speak with Juliet Stott of Content Magazine about the impact digital has had on marketing, how customer experiences can help marketers differentiate their brands, and why websites in general, suck. It was such a fun and revealing conversation, that I wanted to share it with you here. I hope it helps you! Content: What has been the greatest disruption to marketing, and what impact has it had on the industry? Brian: Social is one of the disruptions,…
It’s Time to Bring Digital Literacy to the C-Suite: An Interview with Paul Miller of the Digital Workplace Group,
I think the next big thing following massive innovation on the CX front is EX…employee experience. But, to do so requires a level of inward empathy not usually found roaming the halls of the C-Suite. This is something though, I believe, will become more pronounced as the move to customer-centricity is more closely linked to employee-centricity. To do so however, requires that companies empower employees, giving them access to information, expertise, and the reward mechanisms they need to innovate and…
